


The Thief and the Apothecary

by hellofromorlando



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Universe, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Passive-Agressive to Friends, Slow Burn, all travelers are just such a good fam™️, low key ooc? but not that much idk, mentions of zephyn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 20:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15372234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellofromorlando/pseuds/hellofromorlando
Summary: Therion sets on his adventure to find the four dragonstones belonging to the family of Ravus. Though stricken by the burden of his chains, he sets out to acquire some dignity for his name, and eventually discovers a sense of feelings that he hasn’t felt in a long time.This meager adventure may open up the locks that constrict this thief’s heart.





	The Thief and the Apothecary

A thief’s burden is one of not only constant shame, but also sense of self-worth. So when Heathcote attaches a chain to his wrist labeled, “Certified Theif”, it makes his self-worth pummel to dust. How he was caught in the act, how he fell into the trap; it was completely humiliating. 

It was the fourteenth day of his travels when he arrived in the next town. The heavy bracelet he was attached to was like a shackle to his name; to fellow thieves and innocent villagers alike. Therion knew he would do anything to rid of this burden. Even travel the world to collect three extremely rare family heirlooms.

As he swept through the Riverlands, pummeling any vicious creature that stood in his way, he stumbled upon a corpse. Not just any old corpse, the corpse of a lord. The man was adorned in the finest gold jewelry, and held a precious stone that shone like clean amber in his left hand. Therion knew, even though he was a thief, that he should not have looted a dead body, but he was beyond curiosity as to what secrets that stone may obtain. Maybe it was even one of the dragonstones that he was searching for. If that was the case, he really needed this gem. 

Therion decided to carry the body to a cave, trying to hold his breath from the horrible scent, and put him gently down to rest near the entrance. Therion, upon leaving the cave, looked at the gem, looked back at the man who lay with a blank expression, and pocketed it once more, with a ping of shame in his heart.

It was enough for the bracelet, but stealing from innocent people who had been slain? Therion felt like a giant piece of shit on foot. Which is why he inquired the first apothecary he saw on the path to go and check out the body in the cave. He assumed that an apothecary, with their job saving lives, had slipped up once or twice and had to handle a dead body. The man agreed, and handed him a map with the cave marked on it.

“It should be about an acre from here,” Therion explained, pointing at the red ‘X’ he had labeled clearly where the cave was. “Thank you for doing this, by the way. It must be troubling. I just — I didn’t know what to do with the body.” 

‘Maybe steal from it?’ a voice mocked him from the back of his mind, but he immediately shrugged it off as it came.

The man nodded. “Of course! Thank you for letting me know. Can’t leave a dead man unattended for, can we?” The apothecary tapped Therion on the shoulder as he went on his way, and Therion nodded with an empty expression. 

He decided to take some of the money out of his wallet to spend at the inn at the nearest town.

-

His arrival in Clearbrook was quite welcomed, to say the least. Everyone in town was so cheerful and warm — clearly the opposite from the people in Bolderfall.

One lady went up to Therion and looked at his clothes, saying, “Oh goodness! Your clothing! It’s all torn up! Have you been fighting the monsters around here? They are so menacing! You should go to the inn, and rest up.” She looked down at Therion with great concern, and the thief felt very short all of a sudden.

“I was just about to do that. By the way, how much does the inn cost?” Therion asked.

“340 of your finest dollars. But it sure is worth the price, especially if you’re all beaten up like that.”

Dammit. He only had 180. He assumed the lodgings would be as cheap as Bolderfall, but he should have known better. The inn here is probably much higher quality; especially in a town of apothecaries. 

“It seems I’m short,” Therion explained to the woman, abashedly putting back his wallet. “Guess I’ll just have to find another place to rest.”

“Oh no, good sir! Don’t worry! I’ll put in good word for you to get a discount at the inn.”

Score. Therion tried to hide his smirk of pride in his success. This was his favorite maneuver of manipulation. And nobody was hurt, so no harm done.

He decided to look around town that evening, before he hit up the tavern and stayed at the inn. This is when he ran into a man, leaning against the wall outside someone’s house, who seemed to be looking for something. Or someone. Therion decided to ignore him, but once the apothecary — as he indicated by the satchel — started to approach him with one arm extended, it seemed he had no choice.

“Um, excuse me —“ the man scurried up to him, in a childish-esque voice no doubt, and grabbed Therion’s shoulder. What the fuck was it with people touching his shoulder? Therion briskly turned around, facing the blonde young man.

“What.”

“U-uh, sorry... it’s just... you seem like you’re on a journey. I haven’t seen you around here before. How about I heal you up for free, and you can help me with something? I could really use some assistance,” Alphyn wagered, eyeing Therion’s bracelet knowingly. Being a thief was also an indicator of being poor. This guy was more clever than he initially let off.

“Can I trust you? What if you end up killing me and taking all my stuff?” Therion questioned him, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Trust me, I’m sure there’s not much to steal,” Alphyn giggled. Therion huffed at that. “Just come to my place. I’ll tell you the story there.”

And so the thief, led by the apothecary, and without any real choice to this, traveled across the bridge and into the small abode. 

-

They spent the time in Alfyn’s house, almost empty but warm. Therion was listening to Alfyn’s story while crunching on an apple and lying on the bed — as if he were the one who lived there — and Alfyn telling his story while cooking up some rice and beans. 

Basically, as Therion accounted from most of Alfyn’s story: his best friend’s sister had a deadly sickness from a snake bite and they needed the venom. Therion wasn’t really a man of detail. He only liked to put together the most important information and combine it to make it simpler to understand.

“So, you want me to help you kill the snake, huh? Seems simple enough,” Therion responded, taking another large bite from the apple. As he chewed, Alfyn put on a mitt and picked up two steaming bowls of rice and beans. He walked over and handed one of them to Therion. He was very hungry after a long day of traveling, so he would take the meal. 

“Pretty much,” Alfyn said, pulling up a chair beside Therion’s lounging self, chewing on his first scoop of rice. “But careful. It’s a viper, a very powerful and dangerous type of snake. If you go into this battle underestimatin’ it, it might be your demise.”

“So that’s why you need the assistance.”

“Exactly,” Alfyn nodded. “If I were to go in alone, I’d probably be snake’s meal right now.”

“I’m pretty sure vipers are weak to daggers. Unless I’m mistaken,” Therion explained, pulling out his dagger for a brief second before returning it to its sheath. 

“I think so. I did some research on this specific viper, the Blotted Viper. Apparently, from what people have been sayin’, it’s weak to daggers, axes, and ice power. Not sure if it might have any other weaknesses though. But we should be set. I’m able to use ice tomes, and I typically wield an axe in battle. With the help of your dagger, too, we’ll pull out a fine victory against this beast.”

“Sounds like you’ve prepared, then,” Therion responded, slightly impressed with Alfyn’s ability to research so diligently. The white-haired man hardly had the attention span for such uninteresting hobbies.

Alfyn hummed. After that, they ate their dinner in silence. The thief looked over to the apothecary a couple of times, who seemed to have something on his mind as his brown eyes wandered. He was probably determined on what strategies he was going to use to slay the viper.

After they finished, Alfyn told Therion to rest, and pulled out an extra pillow and blanket to sleep on the ground. Therion pulled the bedsheet over himself, pulled the pillow under his head, and slept soundly for the first time in months.


End file.
